Antonio Conte has hinted that he is prepared to start Alvaro Morata for Chelsea FC’s crunch Premier League clash against Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

The striker has been working on his fitness levels at Cobham in recent days after he was not called up to the Spain squad for their friendly games.

Morata has struggled for both form and fitness this season but he returned to scoring ways before the international break when he netted the opening goal in their 2-1 FA Cup win over Leicester City last month.

The 25-year-old has been settling into life at Chelsea FC since his move from Real Madrid last summer, but he now faces fresh competition for a starting spot from Olivier Giroud following the striker’s arrival at Stamford Bridge in January window.

However, it seems that Morata may have done enough to convince Conte that he is ready to start for Chelsea FC in their crunch top-four showdown with Spurs this weekend.

Speaking at a news conference on Friday at Cobham, Conte said: “I am very happy in the last game Alvaro scored an important goal, for us and for him, and now I am waiting for a great end to the season for Alvaro, Olivier and especially the team.”

Chelsea FC are currently in fifth place in the Premier League table as they bid to try and get back into the top four this season.